There's a great line in Atlas Shrugs that goes like this: "You concluded I was the safest person in the world to spit on because I have power over you and that I would be tied by the fear of hurting your feelings by reminding you of it."

Atlas Shrugged... Hank Reardon "All right, let's get it straight: you're an object of charity who's exhausted his credit long ago."and it was concerning his brother. Yes, it seems to be the norm, now...sadly.

My father owned a service station... Sinclair ( long since gone). People came from far away because he was an honest man, and treated them well. He genuinely liked people and was good to his customers and employees. I believe being nice to people is everyone's responsibility.

It's interesting that people are taking this to be a point about whether or not to be nice to others. That's not what Rand is talking about at all (at least not in this part of the book). She's talking about whether or not people have the right to expect YOU to be nice to THEM regardless of what THEY do to YOU. You are more capable/successful/wealthy than I therefore I should be able to do anything I want to you and you should still be nice/charitable towards me. Her point actually takes it further. You are indebted to me for no other than you're successful and I'm not. This is the mentality she is criticizing.

As for the the Rearden quote Hank has supported his brother for years. Hank pays his brother's bills, gives him a living stipend, supports the brother's friends and has given him several jobs within Rearden Steel (Hank's company). As the book progresses the brother takes up with people who want to punish Hank because he is successful and because he does better than others at something (he excels at making metal and in turn makes giant piles of money off of that skill). Hank's brother, who has done nothing at all useful and has lived off of Hank's charity for years then joins those condemning Hank as "greedy" and evil (because he won't give away the secret of his greatest invention). His brother joins with people who want to confiscate Hank's inventions "for the greater good". Hank's brother believes Hank cannot condemn him regardless of what he does because his brother is successful and rich and he is incompetent and useless. Hank is simply saying that "I was good to you and you threw it in my face. That ends now." That's what he means by "exhausted your credit long ago". Hank had good will and supported his brother, but the brother used it all up through his own actions and decisions.

Just because someone is successful, wealthy and what have you does in no way give them the right to expect you to be nice to them based on their success and or wealth. You want respect you must first give it. Don't and you know where you can go. End of story!